A few
years ago, there was still a movie theatre in Hollywood showing silent
movies - and nothing but silent movies!

In fact, it was the only remaining
silent movie theatre in the world.

Here you could recapture the
glory days of Charlie Chaplin,
Mary Pickford,
Laurel & Hardy,
Harold Lloyd,
Buster Keaton,
the Keystone Cops,
Rudolph Valentino
and a host of other silver screen legends, starring in the classic
silent films that made them (and Hollywood) famous.

The aptly-named Silent Movie
Theatre is still there - located just north of the famous Farmers Market,
on the west side of colorful Fairfax Avenue. But they're not showing just
silents any more.

In 2006, new owners bought
the theatre and plan to show more recent films. But more about that later.
First, a look at the history of the theatre.

The Silent Movie began in with
personal film collection of Mr. John Hampton, who opened the small
theatre 1942, when silent movies had already been passe for 15 years. He
hoped the forgotten comedies would bring a smile to those suffering in
the depths of the Great Depression.

The theatre as it looked back in 1997.

The theatre as it looks today.

Some of the finest movies Hollywood
ever churned out were silent, yet the public today rarely has an opportunity
to see classics such as "City Lights" or "Intolerance"
on the silver screen. But you can see them here, at the Silent Movie Showcase.
In fact, many old-time movie actors have dropped by the theatre to watch
their own films.

Tragedy struck the Silent Movie
Showcase on January 17, 1997, when the owner of the theater, Laurence Austin,
was shot and killed during an apparent robbery attempt. Police later arrested
his longtime business partner for hiring the gunman to kill Austin, so
that he could gain the inheritance.

The Silent Movie Showcase was
closed, and in March 1998, the theatre was put up for sale. Many assumed
that would be the end of it.

But fortunately, the story
had a happy ending.

The
theatre was saved by by silent film enthusiast, Charlie Lustman (pictured
to the left), who purchased the theatre on impulse (he suspects
that the spirit of was John Hampton spurring him on) and re-opened it in
November of 1999 as the only silent film cinema in the USA.

The new owners invested almost
a million dollars in the theatre, and conducted an extensive renovation.
The "new" theatre has a gorgeous art deco neon marquee, new paint,
new wooden floors, a new screen, a new projection booth, and a $7,000 digital
keyboard donated by Yamaha. They also added a second-floor café
and movie art gallery.

This a very small theatre,
with only 158 seats, but there is live music (organ or piano) accompanying
the movies. Before the main feature begins, you can expect to see silent
shorts, cartoons and serials.

The theatre has even attracted
celebrities in the audience, to watch the movies, such as Leonardo DiCaprio,
Meg Ryan
and Dennis Quaid.

However, as the years passed,
the silent movie showings became less and less frequent, until by 2006,
they were only doing shows on holiday weekends. On the other hand, according
to the L.A. Times, they were doing a bang-up business renting the
building for private parties - weddings, Bar mitzvahs, and release parties
that attracted the likes of Alanis Morissette,
Bruce Springsteen,
John Fogerty
and David Bowie.
The theatre even did a private screening as a date for Johnny Depp
and future wife Vanessa. And thos private parties began to push the films
out of the picture.

In June 2006, Lustman
announced that he was selling the theatre to
new owners: two young brothers, Sammy & Dan Harkham (age 26 &
24) and Hadrian Belove. They have turned the small theatre into a revival
house, featuring an ecelectic mix of relatively recent movies with sound.
However, they do still show silent movies (with live music) once a week.
However, unlike Lustman, who tended to stick with the classics (like Charlie
Chaplin), the Harkham's hope to show lesser-known silent films. And the
private parties? They'll continue to pay the rent.

Phone ahead (323-655-2520)to see what's playing this week.

Getting
there:The theatre
is located on the west side of Fairfax Avenue, just south of Melrose Avenue.
From Farmer's Market, drive north up Fairfax Avenue (about
one mile) to Melrose, and the theatre will be on your left (west) side.
/ From Hollywood & Vine, take Vine Street south (about a mile
and a quarter) to Melrose Avenue, and go west on Melrose (two miles) to
Fairfax. Turn right (south) on Fairfax, and the theatre will be on your
right.

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described in the article above, and does not constitute an
endorsement of this or any other business. The photos of celebrities on
this page also do not constitute
endorsements by them of any kind, and are used by the author solely to
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